Even though only Fifteen (15) Cyclists competed in the event, it was a very competitive and exciting event. The teams were mainly comprised of category 1 riders, with only Cutter's as a category 3 team. The race started off a little behind schedule, but we were thankful for clear skies and dry roads.

Cutters went first, the team had a rough time over the 1st mountain climb and as soon as they got their act together, Vaughn flatted (both tires) in the gorge approaching Bull Bay. Shortly after, they were caught by May Pen 2.

Alliance rode well, but they lost their 3rd rider, Patrick Lee by Harbour View. The real battle was between Mobay and Maypen 1. Mobay had started 2 minutes before May Pen 1, but had lost nearly a minute to May Pen 1 at Harbour View.

Mobay did have its share of misfortune. Broomfield had a fantastic crash on the decent after 1 mile hill, amazingly, he remounted and hammered all the way to Port Royal. The team worked well together until they lost Danzie Stewart near Gun Boat beach.

In the meantime, the blue train was right on their tails. May Pen 1 hammered 1 mile hill, dropping Martin Dennis on the early slopes. He had to chase furiously to connect as they slowed near EMJ. Once connected, the 3 worked well together, each doing hard short pulls, with smooth rotations. They quickly gained time on team Mobay and eventually caught them by the Airport and they kept on going.

Kudos to May Pen 1 & 2 for two excellent rides, the effort and teamwork was exemplary. Also, the drivers did an excellent job. No questionable incidents were reported and by all accounts the integrity of the race upheld. Time keepers also did an excellent job, no problems there.

CATEGORY	PLACE	TEAM	MEMBERS	TIME
Elite	1st	May Pen 1	M. Dennis, D. Martin, O. Samuels	49.19
		May Pen 2	M. Hall, N. Hall, T. Edwards	51.23
		Mobay	K. Dunn, D. Stewart, D. Broomfield	51.30
		Alliance	P. Lee, R. Bowen, C. Simmonds	52.25
		Cutters	V. Phang, M. Anderson, B. Ferguson	59.45

The winning time was just short of the previous time of 49:11:05, but we are not comparing apples with apples since the previous race was a 4 man team effort. The absence of a Masters team was very noticeable. I am appealing to the Masters (and other road) riders to come out to the events, even if its not your "type" of race. We have to realize that the cycling community is small, and if we cannot come out in our numbers at these events, the support and promotion we need to move the sport ahead will not be realized.

On that note, I would like to thank all the cyclists, timekeepers, team drivers, officials and TVJ for coming out to the race and look forward to your support to develop the sport we love.

Vaughn Phang
Jamaica Cycling Federation / Cutters Cycling Club